Air pollution in Coimbatore — protecting your lungs through the year

Coimbatore enjoys cleaner air than most Indian metros, but it is not pollution-free. Traffic on Avinashi Road and Trichy Road, construction dust across the city, and winter morning temperature inversions all push PM2.5 well above safe limits on some days — enough to trigger asthma and worsen COPD.

Who is most at risk

• Children with asthma or recurrent wheeze
• Adults with COPD, bronchiectasis or ILD
• Pregnant women
• Two-wheeler commuters and traffic-side workers

What genuinely helps

• Check the AQI before morning walks — switch to indoors when AQI is above 150
• A well-fitted N95 (not a cloth mask) for two-wheeler commutes on bad days
• Run a HEPA air purifier in the bedroom of any child with asthma
• Keep the controller inhaler going through pollution-heavy months — don't 'pause' it
• Annual influenza and 5-yearly pneumococcal vaccination for COPD

If pollution days reliably trigger your symptoms, your inhaler plan is under-treating you. A short review and a written action plan can prevent most attacks.